In several of our previous posts we highlighted the influence of literature on oil painting, as well as music and smells on the creative painting process. Artists such as Russian Expressionist and modernist founder Wassily Kandinsky claimed to see sounds in colours – others claim that when smelling different scents, they would see colours flash in their mind. Thanks to modern day science boffins, this phenomenon has been confirmed and today we look at another fascinating aspect of the interplay of creative forces: grunge painting or grunge artwork.
Grunge to most readers would be a reference to a genre of music that emerged in the 1980s from the United States of America, particularly the Seattle area in the state of Washington. The music is recognisable for its heavily distorted electric guitars, angst and emotionally filled lyrics and distinct song dynamics. Music critics have noted the grunge aesthetic is more bare-bones and stripped-down compared to other forms of rock music, with many grunge musicians sporting hobo appearances. The two most popular bands from this era epitomised this: Nirvana, with their smash hit Smells like Teen Spirit and Pearl Jam, who have somewhat moved on from their grunge roots, but nevertheless still manage to sell out stadiums today.
So what exactly is grunge artwork? One artist, Hungarian-born Rita Ackermann, has been tagged as a grunge artist who obviously produces grunge artwork. Ackermann was born in Budapest in 1968, where she studied at the University of Fine Arts Budapest from 1989 until 1992 before moving to New York City to study at The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. She currently lives in New York and is known for her provocative and avant-garde art that commonly features, according to the New York Times writer Roberta Smith (Jan 13, 2011) “gangs of young people who are up to no apparent good” portrayed in a rough-edged and improvisational style that borders on a mixture of Gauguin and My Little Pony dolls cartoon features. It’s easy to see where the similarities lie – both genres, musical and visual – focus on the critical years of youth where one seeks to define themselves in society. Highly emotionally and confusing, the coming of age stories are always fascinating and make for exciting artwork.
Ackermann thus stuck to something we presume she knew well – the female psyche. Her most notable works and oil paintings that solidified her reputation featured complicated and seductive pubescent girls in various states of dress and undress (she has also designed underwear). These women were also drawn in various other realities, such as the cyberpunk or steampunk worlds of animation, which produced notable works such as Toast for No Fear! (Los Angeles) (2007) and Scorpionun (Man on My Breast/Man, Man between My Legs) (2006).
We don’t have any grunge reproduction oil paintings and to be honest, we’re not sure when we’ll be able to offer them, it at all. If the world doesn’t end in 2012 and the good old internet is still around, be sure to check back with us. We may just have something that smells a bit better than teen spirit.
